Muscles, are they worth it?

[Light Lover]

Thinking about getting muscles in the future after toning out my entire body, so this would include the legs, arms and of course torso where most of the muscles would be most visible. Have searched up all the health benefits but so much varied opinion that contradicts each other, it hurts my head. What do people on here think of the health benefits of muscles, aka a '6 pack', is it good for at all, or is it just for show, and being skinny/lean would be healthier?

[WildeChilde]

2 hours ago, Light Lover said:

Thinking about getting muscles in the future after toning out my entire body, so this would include the legs, arms and of course torso where most of the muscles would be most visible. Have searched up all the health benefits but so much varied opinion that contradicts each other, it hurts my head. What do people on here think of the health benefits of muscles, aka a '6 pack', is it good for at all, or is it just for show, and being skinny/lean would be healthier?

@Light Lover Go for it.  As long as you stay natural, building muscle is one of the best things you can do for your body.  The more muscle you gain, the more calories your body will burn at rest.  You become less injury-prone, and your strength increases too obviously.

If you're looking for visibility though, it's mostly about training the neck, upper back, shoulders, traps, glutes, and forearms.  This video might be helpful for you if visibility is your chief goal.  

 

[Prabhaker]

@Light Lover

Some labor is very essential for the agility of the body, complete alertness of the mind. Just as one can make a mistake with one’s diet : either one eats too little or one eats too much, so a mistake can happen here also. Either one does not do labour at all or one does too much. Bodybuilders do too much labor. A bodybuilder is putting too much of a burden on the body. Raping the body can swell the muscles and make the body worth looking at, worth exhibiting, but there is a great difference between living, being healthy and being an exhibitionist. Each person should find out according to himself, according to his body, how much labor he should do to live more healthily and more freshly. 

[louvar]

If having muscles is involved in your life purpose then yes I would say it is. For instance for me I’m a personal trainer and I to a certain extent feel that being aesthetically fit as well as physically is a requirement for being muscly. As for having a visible six pack which is mainly superficial is also a advantage in the eyes of mainstream culture. Just having an average or low body fat is another which reveals your conditioned six pack is too. A balanced core which consists of global and local muscles is vital for maintaining a strong balance in life and it will go along way in providing you with high energy levels throughout the day, accompanied by an active lifestyle. 

Edited June 14, 2018 by louvar

[Michael569]

there is a bright and dark side to this

Pros (of having some muscle)

• lifting weights puts strain on your bones and prevent osteoporosis
• skeletal muscles are a site for glycogen storage (along with liver), more glycogen means more available energy
• strong body is more resilient and less prone to injuries, herniations, degenerative muscle atrophies and ageing
• exercising moves your lymphatic system, the body sewage system which is responsible for huge amount of modern diseases. 
• muscles help burn some extra calories and also make you more attractive to the opposite sex. 

Cons (of having too much muscle)

• excess exercise causes massive oxidative damage and contributes to metabolic acidosis which puts strain on your kidneys to buffer.
• too much muscle makes body stiff, tendons and ligaments lose flexiility and body is more prone to wear&tear injuries later in life
• it requires your heart to pump harder and consumes a lot of oxygen , especially for those who do not do any sort of aerobic training. 
• muscular body requires excess caloric intake and excess protein which is acidic, hard to digest, and strains your kidneys, your lymphatic system and your digestive organs.

All that being said, an exercise should energise you, not drain you as we see in all sorts of shady western training regimes. Focus on doing calisthenics, work with your bodyweight, do sprints, handstands, yoga and approach this from a perspective of health rather than vanity and narcissism. 

[NCR Ranger]

Yes, so long as you're not resorting to steroids or testosterone shots (they'll mess up your hormones and shrivel up your balls) go for building muscle. The toned gymnast or martial artist build should suit anyone just fine.

[Guest Quanty]

Body exercises without weights. 

Lifting weights will lead to blockages. I was a powerlifter. 

[Light Lover]

Thankyou all for your advice so far, is helpful

[Spiral]

Here a very basic pros of reasonable muscle mass.  

• You are stronger.
• You lose fat by working out. Which is healthy.
• It builds disciple, and confidence.  

[Michael569]

32 minutes ago, Outer said:

Nah man. All of these are wrong.

There are no downsides to weightlifting.

we won't agree on that but let's not go as far as to argue about it